The Los Angeles Chargers are coming off their first loss of the season on the road against the Steelers in Pittsburgh which saw them remain on the East Coast after the Week 2 victory in Carolina.
Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert reaggravated his right ankle injury leading to Taylor Heinecke filing in over the 25 minutes of play in the second half.
Now, the Bolts face the reigning back-to-back Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead. The Chiefs are undefeated and coming from the Eastern time zone as well. They defeated Atlanta on Sunday Night Football at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Here are four bold predictions between the Los Angeles Chargers and the Kansas City Chiefs in which kickoff is slated for Sunday at 1:25 p.m. PT.
Chargers Defense Contains Travis Kelce
Travis Kelce has not had much success over the first three games. Kelce has just eight receptions for 69 yards, including four catches for 30 yards last week against the Falcons.
This also comes as the four-time All-Pro tight end recorded just one reception for five yards in Week 2 against Cincinnati.
Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter said that a big part of Kelce’s success is because of his quarterback relationship with Patrick Mahomes.
“Him and Mahomes have a unique sense of playing together, kind of like that backyard football style of play,” Minter said Thursday to the media. “He makes so plays on, ‘Hey the initial play is over,’ and he does such a great job of finding space, finding soft spots in zones.”
Despite having some breakout games over his last couple of games against the Chargers, including a 12-catch, 179-yard performance last year, Kelce will remain contained against this Chargers defense, even without Derwin James, who was suspended by the NFL for one game.
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The defense musters multiple interceptions
As the Los Angeles Chargers defense contains Kelce, the defense will also be able to have some success against quarterback Patrick Mahomes. He has thrown at least one interception in each of the first three games, including two in the one-point win over Cincinnati.
Being able to win the turnover margin is vital, no matter who a team is playing. The Chargers rank fifth in the NFL with a plus-3 turnover margin with five takeaways and two giveaways.
Of the five takeaways, three are interceptions and two have been fumble recoveries.
The Chiefs are one of five teams to have thrown four interceptions, along with Chicago, Denver, Detroit, and Philadelphia.
Even as dominant as the Chiefs may be, the turnovers have set them back and can be a prime opportunity for the Chargers’ defense to affect the outcome of the game. It will also be huge for the Chargers to win because it will prevent Kansas City from having a two-game lead on the AFC West through four games.
It is one of those situations where although Kansas City may be 3-0, it has not been three complete football games from the Chiefs.
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Ladd McConkey has his best NFL game
The quarterback play for the Chargers will tell a lot about how this offense will work, whether it is Justin Herbert or his backup in Heinicke. Herbert continues to work to get back to full strength in his ankle. He was a limited participant in practice on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.
Last week Heinicke completed both of his passes for 24 yards. One his passes went to rookie wide receiver Ladd McConkey, who had a co-team high three receptions with tight end Will Dissly for a co-team high 44 yards with Quentin Johnson. McConkey had a team-high six targets.
Having that pass completion with Heinicke is a sign of the relationship being comparable, no matter who is throwing passes to McConkey.
McConkey has yet to surpass six receptions in a game. That can happen on Sunday, especially if Johnson is being shadowed by Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie, who is from Los Angeles and played high school football at both Mater Dei and St. John Bosco.
As a result, the coverage on Johnson will open up areas for McConkey to attack and be in a position to catch the football.
Also read: Taylor Heinicke’s Intense Preparation for Chiefs Tilt
Los Angeles Chargers have their least penalized game
Whenever a team faces the reigning champions, no matter the year, that team has to stay disciplined to win the football game.
Last week, the Chargers tied a season-high with seven penalties for 69 yards.
It is not only Derwin James, but it is everybody. The Chargers have to find ways to limit the penalties, especially the 15-yard penalties, and in near first-down situations
This is a Kansas City team that draws a lot of penalties as well, so the Chargers have to find a way to play the right way to have a chance of winning. Los Angeles has not beaten Kansas City in three years when the Bolts swept the regular season series in 2021.
When it comes to the penalties, the referees threw seven flags in the season opener against Las Vegas for 50 yards. However, that part of the game improved against Carolina with just three penalties for 15 yards.
As much as the game can be a toll, both mentally and physically, the Chargers have to do their best in limiting penalties to prevent any advantages to their opponent.
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